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​Functions of a graduate

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The functions and tasks that graduates of the physician assistant program are expected to perform align with both the published Competencies for the Physician Assistant Profession (2003) and the examination content blueprint published by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).

Functions of a Graduate

The physician assistant graduates are expected to be able to function as health professionals who when licensed can practice medicine with physician supervision to respond to the needs of their patients in ways that will improve their quality of life. Using the six published competency categories as a guiding framework for defining function domains, our graduates are expected to demonstrate competency in the areas of medical knowledge, interpersonal and communication skills, patient care, professionalism, practice based learning, and systems based practice. The program goals and outcomes are as follows:

At the satisfactory completion of the requirements of the Master of Physician Assistant degree from The University of Findlay, the graduate will be able to:

Apply medical knowledge and clinical reasoning to interpret
information gathered from the history, physical examination and diagnostic
procedures to formulate, develop, and implement appropriate diagnostic and
therapeutic management plans for a diverse patient population across the age
span.

Establish rapport with team members, maintain appropriate
boundaries in work and learning situations, relate well to students, faculty,
and health care professionals in a collaborative environment.

Demonstrate professionalism by practicing in a competent,
legal, and ethical manner as a physician assistant as a member of the health
care team, serving a population of patients of all ages in diverse
environments

Demonstrate sensitivity and compassion to patients in need,
takes time and effort to explain information to patients and to listen
empathetically to the sick patient and their concerns, shows respect for
patient’s confidentiality and puts the patient’s best interest first.

Exhibit adherence to legal and regulatory requirements and
ethical practices in relation to duty of care and inter-professional teamwork.

Assess and improve delivery of patient care through
appropriate use of learning resources, self-reflection, and commitment to
lifelong learning.

Appropriately address gender, cultural, cognitive,
emotional, and other biases; gaps in medical knowledge; and physical
limitations in themselves and others.

Demonstrate an awareness of and responsiveness to the larger
system of health care to provide patient care that is of optimal value, and
demonstrate an understanding of needs and priorities for cost-effective health
care, resource allocation, and uncompromised quality of care.

Effectively function within different types of medical
practice and delivery systems.

Demonstrate knowledge of different types of payment systems
in health care.

Collaborate with supervising physician and other health care
providers to promote a safe environment for the delivery of quality patient
care.

Physician Assistant Graduates

Graduates of the program are expected to be able to safely engage at minimum in the following clinical tasks as these are technical procedures taught during the program: